Wannabes star-gaze Idol riches

Stars were once just that - glittering, remote, other-worldly. Not any more. Today celebrity is attainable - a bit of talent, a load of determination and you're halfway to a stellar career as a performer.

That's the message that has been broadcast loud and clear into Australian lounge rooms as the quest for Australia's pop "idol" progressed to its hysterical, hyped finale this week. And the next generation of aspiring magazine cover girls and guys are ready for their close-ups.

Singing and entertainment schools around the country are feeling the flow-on effect of the top-rating wannabe-to-celebrity transforming show, reporting a surge in children eager to learn singing, piano and general performance skills.

At the Jaanz School of Singing, which has more than 30 schools Australia-wide and 11,000 students, the sign-up rate has increased by 20 per cent, and is particularly marked in the 12 to 18 age group, according to Jacqui Johnson, the school's marketing and publicity manager. "It's had a huge impact," she said of the show - more so than Kylie or Britney or past television talent shows.

Andrea Gould, who runs the Andrea School of Voice/Junior Pop Stars in Ferntree Gully, said that since Australian Idol began, she has seen a 30 per cent increase in singing pupils, aged six to 16.

"This is not the time of year that people (usually) ring up - not now, at exam time. But the phone is running quite hot, I believe, because of that program," she said. "All these songs they want to sing come out of Australian Idol. They're all hoping that they will be able to do it one day."

It isn't just children and teenagers who are infected by the fame bug but also the parents. "They think they can see something in their child and say 'why can't they be an idol too?'," Ms Johnson said.

"They want their children to be stars and they see a future when they see shows like this."

Australian Idol has sparked a turnaround in how boys - normally outnumbered by girls in entertainment schools - view singing, she said.

Whereas they might previously have avoided singing lessons for fear of copping a ribbing at school, a lot more boys are now stepping forward for lessons. Ms Johnson puts this down to the image of Australian Idol runner-up Shannon Noll who is "a bit of a boy".

Four of the school's students were selected for Australian Idol and two of them, Brandon Burns and Yolande Jackson, made it to the top 50. Principal David Jaanz says that Australian Idol outreaches previous star searches in its scale and the number of performers it provided with a stage and a spotlight. He admits the idea of celebrity was crucial to its success. "Everyone wants to make it. It is all about the dream."